The food industry uses numerous bacteria, in particular lactic bacteria, in order to improve the taste and the texture of foods but also in order to extend the shelf life of these foods. In the case of the dairy industry, lactic bacteria are used intensively in order to bring about the acidification of milk (by fermentation) but also in order to texturize the product into which they are incorporated.
Among the lactic bacteria used in the food industry, there can be mentioned the genera Streptococcus, Lactococcus, Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc, Pediococcus and Bifidobacterium. The lactic bacteria of the species Streptococcus thermophilus are used extensively alone or in combination with other bacteria for the production of food products, in particular fermented products. They are used in particular in the formulation of the ferments used for the production of fermented milks, for example yogurts. Certain of them play a dominant role in the development of the texture of the fermented product. This characteristic is closely linked to the production of polysaccharides. Among the strains of Streptococcus thermophilus it is possible to distinguish texturizing and non-texturizing strains.
WO2007095958A1 discloses Streptococcus thermophilus strains with texturizing properties. In FIG. 1 it can be seen that the most texturizing strain CHCC8833 (DSM17876) has a shear stress value of around 59 Pa.
In order to meet the requirements of the industry, it has become necessary to provide novel texturizing strains of lactic bacteria, in particular of Streptococcus thermophilus, for texturizing food products. Especially there is a need for a novel texturizing strain of Streptococcus thermophilus which can be used together with a strain of a Lactobacillus species. Another need of the industry is that the strain is resistant to bacteriophages normally found in the food industry.